JUST WHO CAN STOP CHELSEA?

Flair and doggedness help sweep aside Swansea as they move 11 points clear

FRANK LAMPARD knows. Titles are won on dreary, drizzly days when obstructive opponents make you doubt your own superiority.

The former Chelsea midfielder was here yesterday, a guest of honour finally given a proper chance to say goodbye to fans after his publicly unheralded departure in 2014.

And he must have liked what he saw. Despite their propensity for rotating managers, Chelsea’s identity remains constant. Lampard would certainly recognise this team’s characteristics. They can attack with flair but defend with doggedness. And when a game looks like it might be heading towards an unsatisfactory conclusion, champions find a way.

So, though Pedro’s cut inside and strike from outside the box in the 71st minute and Lukasz Fabianski’s fumble will not make the cut for Chelsea’s best bits of 2016-17, do not doubt its significance. Chelsea’s rivals are looking for any sign of a stutter and even a hint of hope. You do not expect this side to lose, but perhaps they might draw a game or two? Offer some respite to Manchester City, Tottenham or Arsenal? Yet, though we are still in February, those clubs are running out of time and games.

So accomplished are Antonio Conte’s team, so far clear are they — 11 points — that soon they will be able to stage manage the end of the season, when draws will be enough to see them over the line.

And it will be because of victories like this. They were held at Turf Moor two weeks ago and at Anfield before that. But not at Stamford Bridge, not even against this vastly improved Swansea side.

Unlike last season’s model, this Chelsea are not in the habit of foolish lapses. They look every inch a title-winning side. No team comes close to their balance between creativity and organisation.

‘It’s not easy,’ said Conte. ‘To keep the concentration for the whole championship is not easy. But I have a lot of players who played and won in the past. They know very well the way that we must continue. For this reason, I’m lucky. I’m lucky to have a lot of players who, in the past, won a lot. And if sometimes, I can see some of them relaxing, it’s right for me to try and help them be focused for every moment. But, honestly, that hasn’t been necessary for me.’

He does indeed have a team of winners. Of his starting XI, only Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso have not won a domestic title.

But good though Chelsea were at times — and Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante were outstanding — it was not always straightforward.

Indeed, just before Pedro hit that winning strike, Fernando Llorente had cut inside and was breaking into the box. He lifted the ball and it struck Cesar Azpilicueta’s hand. Referee Neil Swarbrick took the view it was accidental. It was 1-1 and 69 minutes had been played.

‘It was a penalty,’ said manager Paul Clement. ‘It’s 1-1 and we had a chance to go 2-1. But on reflection, they’ve had a lot more chances and a lot more of the ball, so probably deserved the win. But we defended resolutely for long periods, made it difficult. It was “game on” at half-time so that was a big moment at 1-1. Then we concede a soft goal for the second.’

Fabregas, preferred ahead of Nemanja Matic against a more-technical team, was relishing his start, dashing around in midfield as well as getting himself into forward positions. He was there in the 14th minute when a slick move involving a Diego Costa feint and cut back, followed by a Eden Hazard feint and cut back, saw his shot deflected wide. A similar move in the 19th minute was more productive. Hazard found Costa whose unwillingness to yield saw the ball played on to Pedro. He pulled it back and Fabregas managed to strike it decisively past Fabianski.

He was there again in the 27th minute, when a Moses pull back and a Fabregas strike required a fine reaction save.

At this stage it was hard to avoid the conclusion that Chelsea were toying with their opponents. Kante’s ability to tidy up anyone’s mistakes in midfield and regain possession should earn the gratitude of several team-mates, not least David Luiz. And yet there is something about Clement’s Swansea.

Given a free-kick in first-half injury-time, Gylfi Sigurdsson floated the ball with just the right trajectory for Llorente, a former Conte player at Juventus, to head home emphatically. It gave not just Swansea hope but all of Chelsea’s opponents.

But Pedro made it 2-1 and then, in the 84th minute, Hazard wriggled his way through to pull the ball back to Costa, who volleyed home.

Chelsea might need the odd kick start but, ultimately, the engine is ticking over nicely and the final destination is in sight.